Olde Forest celebrates anniversary

Published: Friday, August 30, 2013 at 03:28 PM.

Photo Galleries

“I tell people, Teddy Roosevelt said, ‘Speak softly but carry a big stick.’ I tell people Jag Gowda speaks softly and carries a big tennis racket,” Fox said. “He has been good with adults, kids, tiny kids, junior players. I give him a lot of credit for the general success of Olde Forest.”

And that appeal to all ages is a reason Niemeyer said Olde Forest thrives.

“All age groups will find something at Olde Forest, there’s no limit,” she said. “You will find camaraderie and sports no matter what your age.”

The club has found a way to sustain itself through the years, something current club manager Stacy Higgins said is a credit to the high quality of the club. In March, Olde Forest lowered its initiation fee to $40 for the first 40 people to sign up.

“We had a line waiting out the door when I got here to work,” Higgins said. “In tough economic times, we’re at our capacity for membership. We’ve been pleased about how we have sustained.”

ELON — George Fox has an intimate acquaintance with the Olde Forest Racquet Club. He has been a member since the first day.

“I was in the first 50,” he said. “I wasn’t the first one, but I was somewhere in the first 50.”

On Aug. 31, 1973, a group of about 50 people purchased five acres that eventually became Olde Forest Racquet Club. The 40th anniversary of that occasion is Saturday, marking a milestone for the club located off Pinedale Drive in Elon.

The club has been celebrating the anniversary all year, highlighted by a party at the club July 13 when the five living members of the original board of directors attended, and a member-guest tennis tournament May 4, where a tree was planted and dedicated to past and future members.

When Olde Forest opened, it consisted of a pool and five soft tennis courts. Those attracted current board president Andrea Niemeyer of Elon.

“It was a beautiful facility and (there were) many wonderful families that were members there,” she said. “We had young children and (my husband and I) both loved sports, especially tennis and swimming, and we wanted our children to grow up with that opportunity.”

Fox, a Burlington resident, joined because he was unsatisfied with the city tennis courts and enjoyed playing on the soft courts.

“For all of my life, I’ve been a tennis player,” he said. “This sounded like just a great opportunity. Plus the pool for now and for our children when they grew up.”

The facility now includes 10 soft clay courts, four hard courts and four indoor courts. Because of the indoor courts, Olde Forest is one of a handful of tennis facilities that operates year-round.

“It’s very rare for a tennis club to have that,” Niemeyer said. “We’re very fortunate to have that.”

Fox said, “That was a million-dollar venture which is pretty much paying for itself.”

Forty years later, Niemeyer said, the best part about the club isn’t the tennis or the Olympic-size swimming pool but the community.

“The friendships that we’ve made through the club,” she said. “There are just so many wonderful families at Olde Forest.”

Fox credits tennis pro Jag Gowda with a great portion of the club’s success. Gowda was hired as the pro in 1989 and has been with Olde Forest ever since.

“I tell people, Teddy Roosevelt said, ‘Speak softly but carry a big stick.’ I tell people Jag Gowda speaks softly and carries a big tennis racket,” Fox said. “He has been good with adults, kids, tiny kids, junior players. I give him a lot of credit for the general success of Olde Forest.”

And that appeal to all ages is a reason Niemeyer said Olde Forest thrives.

“All age groups will find something at Olde Forest, there’s no limit,” she said. “You will find camaraderie and sports no matter what your age.”

The club has found a way to sustain itself through the years, something current club manager Stacy Higgins said is a credit to the high quality of the club. In March, Olde Forest lowered its initiation fee to $40 for the first 40 people to sign up.

“We had a line waiting out the door when I got here to work,” Higgins said. “In tough economic times, we’re at our capacity for membership. We’ve been pleased about how we have sustained.”